B-26 Marauder "Flak Bait"Martin B 26 Marauder airplane model. Although the Marauder did not make its first flight until November 25, 1940, its design showed such promise that 1,131 B 26s were ordered by the Air Corps in September 1940. The airplane began flying combat missions in the Southwest Pacific in the spring of 1942, but most of the B 26s subsequently assigned to operational theaters were sent to England and the Mediterranean area. In 1945 when B 26 production was